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Did you know it is SO easy to make fresh tortillas?!
Being Hispanic, we’ve enjoyed homemade tortillas our whole lives. In fact, our great-grandma Bean Burro was FAMOUS for her gigantic delicious tortillas and sold a dozen for $2!! Homemade is better, trust us!
With this simple flour tortilla recipe, we now make them ALL the time. We all agree that everything (from dinners to sides) tastes so much better and more authentic when made with fresh tortillas! Best of all, you need ONLY 5 ingredients for this flour tortilla recipe and the dough comes together so quickly and easily.
Let it rest for 10 minutes, then roll and cook! It really is that simple, and the minimal extra effort is 1000x worth the results!!
Roll them up and enjoy them warm dipped in salsa, or use them in our favorite enchiladas – the possibilities are endless!
Why we think you’ll love it:
- 5 basic ingredients. Flour tortillas are surprisingly simple to make and require just a handful of basic pantry staple ingredients.
- Cost-effective. Making tortillas can be more cost-effective than purchasing pre-made ones, and you ensure clean and healthy ingredients!
- More flavorful. This flour tortilla recipe is a fresher and tastier option compared to store-bought tortillas.
Flour Tortilla Ingredients and Substitutions
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted – I like the resulting flavor using butter, but you can also use vegetable shortening or lard.
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
How to Make Flour Tortillas
- DOUGH. In a medium bowl, mix 2 cups of flour, baking powder, and salt with a whisk or wooden spoon. Add melted butter and warm water and mix with your hands until combined.
- Add more flour if needed 1 tablespoon at a time, but the dough texture should be a little sticky. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
- HEAT. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, or use an electric griddle.
- ROLL. While the skillet is heating up, portion the dough into 12 dough balls of equal portions. On a lightly floured surface, use a pastry roller (or rolling pin) to roll each ball out into a circle about 8 inches wide.
- COOK. Add one tortilla at a time to the hot skillet and cook for about 1 minute on each side, until bubbled with golden brown spots on both sides. Carefully wipe flour out of the pan between batches, or it will accumulate in the pan and start to burn.
Kristyn’s Recipe Tips
- Keep the balls of dough from drying out by draping a damp clean tea towel over the top.
- For smaller tortillas, divide the dough into 14 balls. For thicker tortillas, divide them into 10 balls.
- If the first tortilla doesn’t have golden spots after 1 minute, slightly increase the heat. If the spots are dark brown or black, decrease the heat.
- If your tortillas feel stiff, you have either cooked them too long or used too high of heat.
Rolling Tips
Roll a flattened ball of dough in one direction from the center to the top edge on a floured work surface. Turn the dough a quarter turn and roll again from the center to the top. Repeat rolling and turning until the tortilla is to the desired size and shape. A pastry roller helps with this.
Flour Tortilla Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- ¾ cup lukewarm water
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix flour, baking powder, and salt. Add melted butter and water and mix with your hands until combined. Add more flour if needed 1 tablespoon at a time, but the dough should be a little sticky. Let dough rest for 10 minutes.
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat.
- While the skillet is heating up, divide the dough into 12 dough balls. On a lightly floured work surface, use a pastry roller to roll each ball out into a circle about 8 inches wide. To achieve the perfect shape and size, roll the flattened ball of dough in one direction from the center to the top edge on a floured work surface. Turn the dough a quarter turn and roll again from the center to the top. Repeat rolling and turning until the tortilla is to the desired size and shape.
- Add one tortilla at a time to the hot skillet and cook for about 1 minute on each side, until bubbled and lightly browned on both sides. Carefully wipe flour out of the pan between batches, or it will accumulate in the pan and start to burn.
Video
Notes
- Keep the balls of dough from drying out by draping a damp clean kitchen towel over the top.
- For smaller tortillas, divide the dough into 14 balls. For thicker tortillas, divide them into 10 balls.
- If the first tortilla doesn’t have golden spots after 1 minute, slightly increase the heat. If the spots are dark brown or black, decrease the heat.
- If your tortillas feel stiff, you have either cooked them too long or used too high of heat.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Recipe FAQ
Keep the dough in the fridge or the freezer until you are ready to cook.
Divide the pre-rolled tortillas with pieces of parchment paper or wax paper. Store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
If needed, thaw in the fridge before cooking.
Separate cooled tortillas with parchment paper or wax paper. Place them in an airtight container on the counter for 2-3 days, in the refrigerator for 6-8 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.
To reheat, stack on a plate. Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for 15 to 30 seconds or until warm.
Complete The Meal
Main Dish
Chicken Fajitas
30 mins
Pork Tacos
6 hrs 5 mins
Bean Burrito Recipe
30 mins
Carne Asada Recipe
3 hrs 20 mins
Sides
Homemade Spanish Rice Recipe
45 mins
Esquites
20 mins
Mexican Bean Salad
1 hr 10 mins
How to Make Guacamole
10 mins
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This recipe was originally published March 2015.
There is not much better than warm, chewy flour tortillas!
Once you make your own tortillas store bought will never taste as good.
Will never go back to store bought tortillas again…husband approved! Loved them!
Can i leave out the baking Powder? I prefer a thinner tortilla.
I haven’t personally tried. I know baking powder helps recipes become light & helps them rise. These don’t have to rise, just set. Not sure how the outcome will be without it.
I’ve tried a few tortilla recipes and this one has been the best, I think its because you use butter (versus some that use oil). Thanks for the great recipies!
You are so welcome! Happy you tried them! Thank you!
Amazing! This is the first time I’ve tried making tortillas and it was incredibly easy to make and very tasty! Thanks for sharing the recipe 🙂
You are so welcome! I am glad you tried them! Thank you for letting me know!
Super easy to make and they taste deLiCious! my kids loved them!
Thanks Brittany!! My kids could eat them all day long!
Not bad!! Lacks a bit in flavor because I didn’t use LARD like they do traditionally, but was great. I think next time, I’m going to try adding a teeny tiny bit more salt. I did fry a couple in a Texas garlic olive oil because why not 😉 So yummy and a fantastic base recipe. They came out fluffy and easy enough for my 7 yr old to help. I used my food processor with the dough hook ATTACHMENT and COULDN’T have been any easier! LOVE it! So yummy!
Yay!! I am so glad you tried it & thanks for sharing about using the Texas garlic olive oil. I will have to try!
First time making and Delighted by how soft they turned out, and soooo easy tO make. Should have taken your advice to double the batch!! thanks for this version
LOL..yes, I need to double it every time! Glad you liked them. Thank you so much!
I have been looking for tortillas that I could make and make them into crisp burritos. Is that possible with this and if so how would I do it ?
Yes, I am sure they could. I haven’t made them crispy, but I would maybe stick them under the broiler or you could bake them, but I would need to play around with the bake time & temp.